A Korean-American elementary school in Los Angeles is stirring up controversy after it was reported that a Korean-American student was bullied by his classmates believed to be all white students. The victim’s parents and other Korean-American parents are strongly criticizing the school’s lack of intervention.
According to the Korean-American online community MissyUSA, a parent of the victim, posted on September 19 that her child, a first grader at Larchmont Charter School, was severely assaulted by other students during recess.
“The students choked him, twisted his hands, and subdued him with their knees,” she wrote, “grabbed him by the ankles, dragged him around, put him in a hula hoop, and violently shook him.” She said the six students who bullied her child were all Caucasian students, adding that another Korean-American student was also assaulted at the time.
The assault reportedly left the child with a cut on a hand and severe physical and emotional trauma.
The family immediately informed the teacher and principal, but the school’s response was lukewarm, she said. “The emails I received from the school did not mention the victimization but only that they had informed the perpetrator’s parents of the incident and removed dangerous objects from the playground,” she added.
However, on September 24, six days after the first assault, another incident occurred. “The student hit him in the face with a paper weapon and spat on him, causing an eye injury that required hospital treatment,” the user wrote. She expressed outrage that the school still hasn’t taken clear punishment or separation measures against the assailants.
“The school is denying the bullying incidents and framing both the perpetrator and the victim as having been involved in a fight,” she said.
The school’s email was merely perfunctory, stating that “the investigation into the incident is complete, and we have taken appropriate action based on the evidence and the students’ statements,” and that “we have separated the offenders from the victim and developed a safety plan for the victim.”
A parent of another student who was assaulted on the same day, shared a similar story. “My child was also assaulted by four white students,” she said. ”They punched him in the stomach, kicked him, and trapped him in a hula hoop. When he tried to run away, they grabbed him and assaulted him again.”
Other parents have criticized the school for downplaying the incident as a simple student altercation and for prioritizing the school’s image over the suffering of the victims. “The school refused to release the security camera footage, citing privacy reasons, and did not either provide a clear investigation result of the incident,” she complained.
The parents of the student are currently preparing a legal response and have obtained police reports and hospital records.
Other Korean-American parents are also outraged by the incident. “I was shocked to learn that there was a group violence against Korean-American students,” Kim, a parent whose son is a second-grader at the school, told the Korea Daily, “Racism must be stopped. We are taking this moment to rally with Korean-American parents.”
The Korea Daily reached out to the school for comment, but did not receive a response.
BY SUAH JANG, YOONJAE JUNG, HOONSIK WOO
[jang.suah@koreadaily.com, jung.yoonjae@koreadaily.com]
